How to Open a CSS File

A CSS file contains formatting information for the various page elements on an HTML or XHTML Web page, including styles for fonts, headings, lists, tables and paragraphs. You can open a CSS file in a basic text editor to view and manually edit its code, or you can use a program specifically designed for opening, creating and editing CSS files. Although basic text editors lack these tools, some programs implement graphical tools and menus that you can use to add or change formatting elements without needing to write out the code.

Instructions

1. WordPad

   • 1
     Click the Windows "Start" button and click "All Programs," "Accessories" and "WordPad." WordPad is a text editor included with Windows, and it lets you open and manually edit CSS files.
   • 2
     Click WordPad's "File" menu and select "Open." Click the drop-down list to the right of "File Name" and select "All Documents." This displays all file formats and allows you to open files that don't have the program's default document extensions.
   • 3
     Browse to the folder containing the CSS file you want to open and click "Open." You can now view and manually edit the file's contents.

   Arduo CSS

   • 1
     Download and install Arduo CSS from the Arduosoft website. Arduo CSS is a free CSS editor that includes graphical tools for editing your file and viewing its code.
   • 2
     Click the blue folder icon below the program's toolbar to launch the dialog box for opening CSS files.
   • 3
     Select your CSS file and press "Enter" to open it in the program. This displays a new main tab for your CSS file. Click the "Visual" tab below the file's main tab, then click an element in your file to view its properties in the right pane. Click the "Code" tab below the file's main tab to view the code in its original formatting.

   Simple CSS

   • 1
     Download and install Simple CSS from the Hostm.com website. Simple CSS is a free CSS editor for the Mac and PC which features drop-down lists that let you quickly change settings in your CSS files.
   • 2
     Open Simple CSS and click "New Project" near the top of the window. Type a name for your CSS project and press "Enter."
   • 3
     Click the "Import CSS" button at the top of the window. Locate your CSS file and click "Open." This displays your CSS file's contents on the "Source" tab and offers additional tabs that let you edit settings for text, borders and dimensions. To change any settings, click the appropriate tab and select the drop-down list for the element you want to change.